The Corinthians, when subject to Philip, espoused his
party very zealously, and individually conducted themselves
so contemptuously towards the Romans, that persons ventured
to throw down filth upon their ambassadors, when passing by
their houses. They were immediately punished for these and
other offences and insults. A large army was sent out under
the commaud of Lucius Mummius, who razed the city.B. C. 146. The
rest of the country, as far as Macedonia, was subjected to the
Romans under different generals. The Sicyonii, however,
had the largest part of the Corinthian territory.

Polybius relates with regret what occurred at the capture
of the city, and speaks of the indifference the soldiers showed
for works of art, and the sacred offerings of the temples. He
says, that he was present, and saw pictures thrown upon the
ground, and soldiers playing at dice upon them. Among
others, he specifies by name the picture of BacchusAristeides of Thebes, a contemporary of Alexander the Great. At a
public sale of the spoils of Corinth, King Attalus offered so large a price
for the painting of Bacchus, that Mummins, although ignorant of art, was
attracted by the enormity of the price offered, withdrew the picture, in
spite of the protestations of Attalus, and sent it to Rome. by Aristeides, (to which it is said the proverb was applied, Nothing
to the Bacchus,) and Hercules tortured in the robe, the gift
of Deïaneira.This story forms the subject of the Trachiniæ of Sophocles. This I have not myself seen, but I have seen the
picture of the Bacchus suspended in the Demetreium at Rome,
a very beautiful piece of art, which, together with the temple,
was lately consumed by fire. The greatest number and the
finest of the other offerings in Rome were brought from Corinth. Some of them were in the possession of the cities in
the neighbourhood of Rome. For Mummius being more
brave and generous than an admirer of the arts, presented
them without hesitation to those who asked for them.Mummius was so ignorant of the arts, that he threatened those who
were intrusted with the care of conveying to Rome the pictures and statues taken at Corinth, to have them replaced by new ones at their expense, in case they should be so unfortunate as to lose them. Lucullus, having built the temple of Good Fortune, and a portico, requested of Mummius the use of some statues, under the
pretext of ornamenting the temple with them at the time of
its dedication, and promised to restore them. He did not,
however, restore, but presented them as sacred offerings, and
told Mummius to take them away if he pleased. Mummius
did not resent this conduct, not caring about the statues, but
obtained more honour than Lucullus, who presented them as
sacred offerings.

Corinth remained a long time deserted, till at length it was
restored on account of its natural advantages by divus Cæsar,
who sent colonists thither, who consisted, for the most part, of
the descendants of free-men.

On moving the ruins, and digging open the sepulchres,
an abundance of works in pottery with figures on them, and
many in brass, were found. The workmanship was admired,
and all the sepulchres were examined with the greatest care.
Thus was obtained a large quantity of things, which were
disposed of at a great price, and Rome filled with Necro-
Corinthia, by which name were distinguished the articles taken
out of the sepulchres, and particularly the pottery. At first
these latter were held in as much esteem as the works of the
Corinthian artists in brass, but this desire to have them did
not continue, not only because the supply failed, but because
the greatest part of them were not well executed.The plastic art was invented at Sicyon by Dibutades; according to
others, at the island of Samos, by Rœcus and Theodorus. From Greece it
was carried into Etruria by Demaratus, who was accompanied by Eucheir
and Eugrammus, plastic artists, and by the painter Cleophantus of Corinth, B. C. 663. See b. v. c. ii. § 2.

The city of Corinth was large and opulent at all periods,
and produced a great number of statesmen and artists. For
here in particular, and at Sicyon, flourished painting, and
modelling, and every art of this kind.

The soil was not very fertile; its surface was uneven and
rugged, whence all writers describe Corinth as full of brows
of hills, and apply the proverb,
Corinth rises with brows of hills, and sinks into hollows.